When I first read in the spring of 2011 what Uzi was telling us about the unwarranted building of mosques and minarets in a town nearby to their own Israeli village in the West Bank, I realized there was a parallel to all the unwarranted mosque building that Islamists have been doing in the United States, the United Kingdom and the European nations - building more and bigger mosques than the population can support should be raising suspicions on intended purposes.

That's why I added the sub-title, What happens in Israel doesn't stay in Israel. The battles that Israel has and does face in combating the terrorist Islamist enemy is the forerunner of the battles that the whole of Western civilization is and will engage in to defend ourselves against radical Islamists.

As you will read in Uzi Lotan's post-Gaza war article, we can know even more detail about the parallels, and especially why it is of extreme danger for national security forces to have a 'hands off' approach to known radical-Islamist preaching mosques. Why? Because those mosques are not just houses of worship but are being used as safe havens and strategic military infrastructure for terrorists. What as we saw unfold recently in Gaza is not just a Gaza-Hamas phenomenon.

In just the past week, Israeli newspapers reported that according to captured Hamas men during the Gaza war, there was a plot among Hamas to stage a coup in the Palestinian Authority held West Bank. Hamas planned to attack the PA and take over control of the West Bank as they had Gaza. That is why the reporting by Lotan in 2011, and now again after the discovery of the extensive tunnel network under Gaza, begs the question:

What were they building in Hamas' West Bank Stronghold of Qalqilyah?

By Uzi Lotan of Beit Hallel

West Bank 7 Sept 2014: Peace and quiet have been restored to Alfei Menashe At least, on the surface, that seems to be the case, since the agreement to this last ceasefire came into effect 2 weeks ago.

Noise has been everywhere for the past 3 consecutive months! It started with June, the month of Ramadan, with its 24-hour-a-day disturbances. Then followed by 51 days of July-August, with the noise of War - Operation Protective Edge. Fighter jets flying overhead every 1 and a half minutes, then all international flights to Ben Gurion airport, having been re-routed and starting to land right over our home, every 3 and half minutes. Add to this cacophony the war-sirens and booms in the distance, making even the regular calls from the mosques in the 5 villages surrounding us, fade in comparison. Silence could not be found anywhere: even the abundance of birds that usually frequent our garden - seemed to leave us for quieter habitats.

Even though we have some respite, we still need to be watchmen, and therefore we are compelled to relay to you what is happening here, in Samaria (politically known as the West Bank).

Just as Gaza, the Kingdom of Jordan and the Golan Heights, are each one a gateway into Israel, within its current borders, so is Samaria. The main road into Israel, from Samaria, runs between Alfei Menashe and a major Hamas stronghold - the Palestinian city of Qalqilyah.

On the Subject of Mosques & Tunnels | At the beginning of the war, when Israel began to discover the extent of the force that they were facing, Prime Minister Netanyahu rightly announced that we could not give Judea and Samaria to the Palestinian Authority, or we would have 20 more 'Gazas' to contend with.

During 2010, we noticed unusual numbers of mosques being built in Qalqilyah. (Mosques, Minarets and Military Training). We asked you then to pray with us concerning this area. It was later revealed that the building of the mosques, side by side, and with tunnels underneath them, was indeed for jihadist activities, training, weapon-manufacturing and storage facilities.

And here we are, 4 years later, and we are asking you to pray with us once again, for this same area for this terrorist use has been confirmed once more by the testimonies of Hamas militants that were captured by the IDF, during this Operation. [Source: Israel Today, 28 Aug 2014 - Testimonies of Captured Hamas Militants]

Next to the town of Qalqilyah, which is a Hamas stronghold, the landscape has been changing during the past 18 months, and even much faster these past 6 months.

On various news bulletins, we have heard that when building the tunnels, they first cover them with loose sand, and then several loads of topsoil. For the past 12 months there has been fervent activity taking place with earth moving equipment, and bulldozers clearing areas, dumping enormous amounts of soil, and finally moving hundreds and hundreds of mature, fully-grown trees onto the property, ready for sale. This is taking place next to existing nurseries, and is overlooking the main Israeli highway that runs from north to south across the country.

Do we have tunnels much closer to home? Our answer is: yes! We believe that the Holy Spirit has alerted us to pray, and to encourage others to pray, that what is hidden will be uncovered.

As the IDF continually patrols this area, we have no doubt that they are aware of what is going on, on the ground, and underground. Yet, the IDF is the natural army, and we are the spiritual army. Our fight is not against flesh and blood, but it is against the powers and principalities of this dark world. (Ephesians 6:12)

Iran - a Peace Loving Nation indeed | In its recent series of negotiations with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), Teheran claimed that all of its huge nuclear projects are for "peaceful purposes only". Yet, at the same time, it issued a further threat to our area in the form of proclamations that it will arm the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria with missiles, and it intends doing so before the next war. The former Tehran defense adviser has said that Tel Aviv and Haifa will be much easier to hit from Judea and Samaria, as the distance is much shorter than from Gaza, therefore only short-range missiles will be required. [Sources: Times of Israel staff 30 July 2014 - Iran will arm West bank with missiles; Times of Israel staff 25 Aug 2014 - Iran will arm Palestinians; Israel Today, 31 Aug 2014 - Iran arming Palestinians before next war]

If Iran is able to arm the West Bank with short range missiles (as stated in the above links), and there are tunnels right here, 8 kilometers from Kfar Sabba, a major Israeli city, this could mean mass destruction.

More Threats & Ultimatums | On Wednesday September 3rd, the Palestinian Authority (PA) issued an ultimatum for Israel's withdrawal from Judea and Samaria, enabling an independent Palestinian state, on the pre-1967 borders, to be established within 3 years.

Again, the PA is threatening to take Israel to the international Criminal Court if its ultimatum is not met. This has come precisely at a time when Israel is more convinced than ever of the danger of such a move. [Source: Israel today, 3 Sept 2014 - Israel believes Palestinian ultimatum is dangerous]

Fragmentation & Division? | In the Middle East - situations and statements can change on a daily basis. , Only 4 days after Abbas' ultimatum to Israel, he made another speech, and this time only stated that he was losing patience with Israel, but seriously threatened to break partnership with Hamas. He added that there could only be one source of authority ruling over the Palestinians, and their future state, and that if there is to be war, Hamas has no right to call for it.

"If Hamas won't accept a Palestinian State with one government, one law, and one weapon - then there won't be any partnership between us," said Abbas. "This is our condition, and we won't back away from it."

The Palestinian Authority seem to be determined to eradicate Hamas from Judea and Samaria. However, Hamas has called on its operatives not to co-operate with the investigations of the PA security forces, and has condemned the escalation in the amount of summons and arrests being issued by the PA to their men in the West Bank, which they claim is without reason. [Source: Ynet, 7 Sept 2014 - Abbas Threatens to break partnership with Hamas]

The Spread of the ISIS Cancer | On Friday September 5th, the Shabach, which is the Israeli Internal Security (like FBI in the USA) announced that they have arrested 10 Israeli Arab Citizens, that are affiliated to ISIS.

Although we have not heard of any Palestinian citizens being arrested for being affiliated with ISIS, declarations have been made and there have been ISIS flags flown on the Temple Mount, and in some areas of Judea and Samaria, where there have been frequent riots against Israel. Please pray with us that all those affiliated with ISIS will be swiftly apprehended and completely uprooted from within our nation, as well as from the areas controlled by the Palestinian authority.

Samaria - in Biblical Context | As we read God's word, there is no doubt that He loves this mountainous area of Samaria, and He has a definite plan. We also know that His timing and ours are not the same, but until He notifies us of His change of plan, we need to continue to intercede and be watchmen.

Ezekiel 36:1-8: `O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD...The enemy said of you, "Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession... they ravaged and hounded you from every side so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations and the object of people's malicious talk and slander, therefore...in my burning zeal I have spoken against the rest of the nations... I speak in my jealous wrath because you have suffered the scorn of the nations.....I swear with uplifted hand that the nations around you will also suffer scorn. `But you, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home.'

We need to reiterate that Samaria in Hebrew is Shomron, and it has the same root as the Hebrew word "shomer" - this means the guard, or keeper. We are the spiritual gatekeepers on the seam line, from Samaria into Israel, and we literally pass the Hamas stronghold each day, as we enter through the gateway.

There are many in Israel that have been called to intercession for this nation. God gives us each different assignments. We have been placed here, as watchmen, on the hill, overlooking this area as an eagle watches from the sky. Would you pray with us, that everything that is hidden, will be brought to light ?

Donna Diorio: Can you see the parallels that I see to strategies we need to heed from the Israeli experience in dealing with radical Islam? I hope so because it may make a major difference in how we all fare in the ongoing war against Islamists.